Moscow, Mar. 27, (dpa/GNA) – The family and friends of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who died in custody, have commemorated him on the 40th day after his death.
His parents and mother-in-law visited Navalny’s grave at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow in accordance with Orthodox tradition.
His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, thanked people at the cemetery for their support in her grief. However, she also recalled the recent terrorist attack near Moscow which left at least 139 dead. “Alexei would have expressed his sympathy for all the dead, may they rest in peace, and all the injured,” she said, according to media reports on Tuesday.
Navalny, a long-time and staunch opponent of President Vladimir Putin, died on February 16 in a prison camp in the Arctic Circle in Siberia. It has not been independently established whether the 47-year-old died or was killed because of the conditions of his detention.
His fellow opposition activists are calling the incident a political murder.
Navalny’s funeral on March 1 turned into a demonstration at which thousands of people expressed their sympathy for Navalny and their opposition to the Kremlin.
Navalny’s mother-in-law Alla Ambrossiyeva said on Tuesday that she had received a card from him with birthday greetings after the funeral – posted on the day of his death.
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, wants to continue her husband’s political work from exile. On the 40th day after his death, Russian pop stars critical of the government recorded a joint music video in memory of Navalny.
GNA